THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ticats.ca
Justin Dunk
Tiger-Cats running back Avon Cobourne has always approached the game of football with a boisterous and energetic style. His energy fuels not only himself, but rubs off on those around him. With Montreal, where he spent the first five years of his CFL career, in town on Friday, one can only imagine Cobourne’s energy will be above the norm for a regular season tilt.
“Some players play better when they’re angry or when they’re emotional, he’s one of those guys,” Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said, after the team’s workout on Tuesday at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
“That’s not a situation I am going to try and temper. I’m just going to let it run its course.”
“I have to play the game that I know how to play, which is having fun and letting my guys know that we’re going to win,” Cobourne said.
Lots of fun was had a week ago when the former Grey Cup MVP notched his first 100-yard rushing performance, and first major in Ticats colours.
“Last week he played the whole game, he only played a half against Saskatchewan, and we were in a rhythm offensively,” Bellefeuille said. “You saw that he started to put up some numbers.”
After four games played Cobourne sits third among CFL rushing leaders with 264 yards on 48 carries along the ground and he credits his early season success to some extra time spent with his new road pavers.
“We spend some extra time together trying to get the line calls down and see what they’re doing,” Cobourne said. “It alerts me and lets me know where they’re going, so in turn, I know where they’re going to be and where my cut could be.”
“I felt like he was getting a better feel for how our guys block, and the angles, and where the seams were going to be,” Bellefeuille said. “Now he’s had the opportunity, after a few weeks of playing with those guys, to get a feel for them.”
Cobourne hit pay dirt twice to be exact against the Lions at Empire Field but he is feeling the physical toll this week, from his successes in B.C.
“Actually I feel terrible, my body is hurting right now, but come game day I’ll be fine,” he said.
Of course game day this week means the Alouettes provide the opposition and the running back has even gone so far as to give away 100 tickets in Box H, right behind the Montreal bench, to ensure nothing comes easy for his former team in Hamilton.
“I want people to know that this game is important to me and the organization,” Cobourne said. “I want to fill this place up.”
Number 22 has some inside knowledge of the schemes and plays his former team likes to run, after going against the Als defence every day in practice, while playing in the Anthony Calvillo led attack for five seasons.
“There are some things that I know that will help me out with the type of blitzes they run,” Cobourne said. “I’ll know when it’s coming.”
Cobourne challenges himself to be productive and consistent each week and he has been steady in the early part of 2011 for the Ticats, touching the rock in a variety of ways.
“He’s caught the ball in space, he’s caught screens, he’s run zone, he’s run trap and counter,” Bellefeuille said. “He’s run a lot of different type of plays so I feel good about the different ways he’s getting the ball.”
The Alouettes will have to be aware of the different ways Cobourne will see the football on Friday, but it doesn’t matter how many touches he gets against his former team, so long as the result is in Hamilton’s favour.
“A win is a win, however you get it I’ll take it.”
